Nightmares At Dawn
by Moonlight Listener
Summary: "Natsu...Natsu are you listening to me?" "WHAT!" "...Gomenasai..." Wait...NO, Luce! I didn't mean it, I'm sorry!


**Nightmares at Dawn**

It wasn't the first time, oh no, it definitely wasn't. It definitely wasn't the first time that he woke up with a nightmare still fresh in his head. First, he'd go to sleep, dreading what would be in his nightmares, next, he would dream, dream those nightmares that happen constantly, dream those nightmares that suddenly appeared, and finally, he would wake up screaming, covered in a cold sheen of sweat in the light of dawn.

"Natsu…" Happy whispered, "Are you okay?" he would ask, whenever he would be awoken from his slumber by Natsu's shouts.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he would answer, when really, he wasn't. Everyone noticed that something was bothering him. Natsu Dragneel would come into the guild with pale skin and bags underneath his dull eyes.

"Natsu," his partner, one day asked. "Are you okay? You're not looking to good." Natsu looked over at his beloved friend, whose curious brown eyes stared at him with the tint of worry. He smiled when he thought of that. Thinking that she actually _cared_ for him. But of course she would, she's Lucy Heartfilia.

"Of course Luce, why wouldn't I be?"

"You looked like you were just about to pass out a few minutes ago. Natsu…have you been getting some sleep?"

Natsu sighed reluctantly. "…You got me, it's nothing Luce, I just haven't been getting some shut-eye recently. I guess I should probably go home today, call it a day."

"Of course Natsu, I think that's best." With that, Natsu Dragneel got up from a table in the guild, after giving one last genuine smile to the girl he had nightmares about, and stumbled through the doors towards his home, after exchanging a word or two with Mirajane Strauss and his other partner, Happy.

**-x-**

He knew this dream before, of course, it just HAD to be this one. Though, all of his dreams branched off of this one. It was so damn hard to forget this one, so damn hard.

"_Natsu!" A hand waved in front of his face. "Natsu are you listening to me?" _

_ "_What?_" Natsu snapped. Natsu was aware of everything that happened in his dreams, he knew he was dreaming, but he was always caught up in the fear…caught up in his fears that could become a reality. _Luce,_ he thought,_ I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you.

_"Gomenasai…" Lucy whispered. "I just wanted to talk to you." _

_ "Well?" Damn it, why was he ALWAYS so __mean__ to her in these dreams. And why the _hell_ couldn't he control his actions. WHY?! _

_ "Umm…recently, you haven't been around much, and you've been distant…especially to me." _

_ Natsu—dream Natsu—scoffed. "Can't you take a hint? I obviously don't want anything to do with you anymore." _

_ Lucy was taken aback. "What?" She looked around. They were in the guild. But no one was there to help her or back her up. "What do you mean?" _

_ "Are you really that dumb Heartfilia?" Dream Natsu asked. Natsu flinched just like Lucy did when he heard Dream Natsu calle her by her last name that she tried so hard to forget, especially with what her father failed to do when she was a child._

No Luce! You're not dumb; you're probably one of the smartest people in the guild! Don't take what I said to heart!

_When Lucy failed to answer, Dream Natsu scoffed once again, "Guess you are." Natsu's heart started to break when he started to see tears prick the corners of Lucy's doe eyes. _

_ "Natsu…" Lucy whispered._

_ "Geez Lucy can't you take a hint? You're not wanted here, no one wants you here, why would they when you can't protect _nakama_, when you can't even protect yourself. So why don't you do everyone a big, huge favor, and leave." Suddenly the guild members appeared, their presence flooding the barren room with color. Few people like Wendy and Romeo were against what everyone was saying, but their protests were drowned out by everyone else's agreement. _

No…Luce, this is all **wrong**. Don't listen to them!

_Levy walked up to Lucy and pushed her back towards the guild doors with Lucy's very own novel. "Just go already, you're not worthy enough to be here." _

_ Erza pulled a sword, "Leave, before we have to go to extreme measures." _

_Lucy by now, had tears _pouring_ down her face. But she set her jaw and said, "If this is what you want…then…fine, so be it. So long as this makes you happy."_

_Before she could turn around and leave, she was pushed right out the guild doors by none other than Natsu—dream Natsu of course. "Oh, it'll make us happy all right." _

**-x-**

_Natsu—the real Natsu—felt like he couldn't take it anymore; but the dream mercilessly shifted into another scenario. _No…please no…I can't take it anymore…

_Lucy trudged down the streets of nowhere, where no one looked or remembered you, where everyone was strangers. Lucy had bruises and cuts all along her arms. "Of course they wouldn't want me there, why would they?" Lucy brought out a knife out of nowhere. _

What? Lucy what are you doing?

"_Why would they," she whispered. Natsu watched in horror as Lucy dug the knife into her, fatally killing herself._

Luce…no…NOOO—  
**-x-**  
"Natsu?" Natsu was drenched in a cold sweat as he tried to open his eyes. A blurry hand waved across his face. "Natsu are you listening to me?"

"LUCE!" Natsu shot off of the bed he was sleeping on and enveloped said girl into a big hug. Tears started falling from Natsu's eyes as he embraced the startled girl tightly.

"N-natsu? Are you okay? I just came by to check on you and—"

"Lucy! It was terrible, I was so awful to you and-and you had to leave because of me and you ended up—ended up…" Natsu burst out sobbing, leaving Lucy's shoulder part of her shirt, a wet and crumpled mess. Lucy awkwardly returned his hug and tried to calm the bawling Dragon Slayer, only to fail.

"I promised to protect you Luce, I did right?"

"Yea—"

"Then why couldn't I have saved you then?! Why couldn't I have stopped you from leaving, from leaving **me**?! Why couldn't I—"

"Natsu…It was just a dream, you had a nightmare, that's all."

"But Luce, what if it _does_ happen? What if **I** drove you out of the guild and you—"

"Natsu, you should know that it's going to take a hell of a lot to make _me_ leave the guild," Lucy chuckled dryly. Looking out the window she started to see the sun start to rise. Turning her gaze to a nearby clock, she realized, that it's been a few hours since she first came by, trying to wake up the slumbering dragon. "Natsu…is this why you haven't been looking so good the past few days?"

No answer.

"Natsu…tell me honestly."

A pause before—"Yes Luce, I couldn't sleep properly. I've been living the past few days in fear—and you know I'm dropping my pride just to say this to you—but I never felt calm until I at least saw you. Then I would feel like just going to sleep so long as…so long as you were there when I woke up!" That surprised Lucy. "Why do you think—why do you think I've wanted to sleep in your bed so often? Just recently, I decided to at least have the decency to give you some privacy, so I've been staying here for the nights. But then the nightmares started."  
"Natsu…why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because, I thought you would think of me weird when I said I was having dreams about you, and that I needed to sleep in your bed."

"That's a different case, but these nightmares are affecting your health, you could've told me at the very least. Then I could've done something."

"Luce…all I need is the reassurance that you're here…safe."

Lucy scoffed. "Of course I'd be here safe. I've got you right?"

Natsu stiffened. "But Luce—"  
"Shut it Natsu, I know for sure that you wouldn't act that way to _anyone_, let alone me. It won't happen, not unless it's against your will. You're too good of a person," Lucy comforted. "And that's what I love about you," she whispered. Lucy thought he didn't hear, but oh, he did. Natsu smirked, while feeling relieved that Lucy at least believed in him, that he wouldn't do anything horrible to her. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't have any more nightmares now.

"Thanks Luce," Natsu kissed her cheek, causing her to flush a bright red. "I return the feelings just so you know." But before Lucy could reply, Natsu dashed out of the house laughing.

Lucy chased after him yelling, "Hey, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?"

"LOVE YOU LUCE!"

Yup, he **definitely** wouldn't be having those nightmares again.

**So, how do you like that? **

**Cliché: Yes/Maybe**

**Do I like it: Kind of**

**Do you like it: Post a review on what you think about my story.**

**I'll continue updating "Two Years' Time" for sure, but for these kinds of stories, tell me if you want me to continue doing more one-shots or just stick with the multiple chapter fanfictions. But until then, happy readings!  
~Moonlight Listener**


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